Expandable glove with lateral closure

ABSTRACT

An expandable glove includes a hand portion having a first cavity and a second cavity adjacent to the first cavity, a sleeve portion including a cuff having an opening therein for access to the hand portion, and a lateral closure extending from the hand portion to the sleeve portion. The lateral closure is configured to repeatedly and reversibly move from a closed position in which the opening of the cuff has a first perimeter, to an open position in which the opening of the cuff has a second perimeter larger than the first perimeter. The glove is formed of vinyl.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/744,638, filed on Oct. 1, 2012, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entiretyinto the present disclosure.

BACKGROUND

The disclosed embodiments relate generally to a glove having a lateralclosure to expand a size of a cuff of the glove.

Users often wear household gloves to protect their hands from chemicalspresent in cleaning products or gardening products or from the heat ofhot water. Household gloves may be disposable or reusable. Reusablehousehold gloves are often thicker than disposable gloves. Once aninterior of a pair of reusable household gloves gets wet due to waterfrom the task being performed (e.g., dishwashing, cleaning or gardening)or from the user's sweat due to the thickness of the gloves, the glovesmay develop an unpleasant smell that is difficult to remove. Inaddition, once the reusable household gloves are wet, they are difficultto take off and put on again until they are dry.

A need exists for improved technology, including technology that mayaddress one or more of the above described disadvantages.

SUMMARY

One embodiment relates to an expandable glove including a hand portionhaving a first cavity and a second cavity adjacent to the first cavity,a sleeve portion including a cuff having an opening therein for accessto the hand portion, and a lateral closure extending from the handportion to the sleeve portion. The lateral closure is configured torepeatedly and reversibly move from a closed position in which theopening of the cuff has a first perimeter, to an open position in whichthe opening of the cuff has a second perimeter larger than the firstperimeter. The glove is formed of vinyl.

Another embodiment relates to a method of cleaning an expandable glovecomprising a hand portion including a first cavity and a second cavityadjacent to the first cavity, a sleeve portion including a cuff havingan opening therein for access to the hand portion, and a lateral closureextending from the hand portion to the sleeve portion, the lateralclosure configured to repeatedly and reversibly move from a closedposition in which the opening of the cuff has a first perimeter, to anopen position in which the opening of the cuff has a second perimeterlarger than the first perimeter. The method includes inverting the gloveto an inside-out position, placing the glove into a dishwashing machineand running the dishwashing machine for a cleaning cycle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the disclosedembodiments will become apparent from the following description and theaccompanying exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, which arebriefly described below.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an expandable glovewith a lateral closure in a closed position.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the expandable glove of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the expandable glove of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the expandable glove of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the expandable glove of FIG. 1 with thelateral closure in an open position.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the expandable glove of FIG. 1 with an openingand closing device for the lateral closure.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the opening and closing device of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an expandableglove with a lateral closure in a closed position.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the expandable glove of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a top view of the expandable glove of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the expandable glove of FIG. 8 with thelateral closure in an open position.

FIG. 12 is a top view of an embodiment of an expandable glove with adecorative appearance or design.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Presently preferred embodiments are illustrated in the drawings. Aneffort has been made to use the same or like reference numbersthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Referring to FIGS. 1-6 and 8-11, a preferred embodiment of a glove 100includes a hand portion 110, a sleeve portion 120, and a lateral closure130 extending from the hand portion 110 to the sleeve portion 120.

The hand portion 110 and the sleeve portion 120 preferably areintegrally formed. In other words, the hand portion 110 and the sleeveportion 120 preferably are made of the same material that is continuousfrom the hand portion 110 through the sleeve portion 120. For example,the glove 100 is preferably made of a reusable, washable, and waterproofmaterial. In a preferred embodiment, the glove 100 is made of a vinylmaterial, for example, latex free vinyl. Vinyl gloves offer analternative to users who are sensitive to latex and/or dislike the smellof rubber gloves. In other embodiments, the glove 100 may be made ofother suitable materials such as nitrile, latex or another rubber orresin provided that the material may be washed, for example, in adishwashing machine or laundry machine, and will not break, deform orotherwise deteriorate when exposed to household cleaning products (e.g.,dishwashing soap, bleach, or ammonia) or gardening products (e.g.,fertilizer, dirt, or pesticide). The waterproof material may be naturalor synthetic (i.e., man-made). In yet other embodiments, the handportion 110 and the sleeve portion 120 may not be integrally formed. Forexample, the hand portion 110 may be formed of a first material and thesleeve portion 120 may be formed of a second material, and the first andsecond materials of the hand portion 110 and the sleeve portion 120 maybe joined by a waterproof joining portion. In such embodiments, thefirst and second materials of the hand portion 110 and the sleeveportion 120 may be the same material or may be different materials.

Although only a single glove 100 is described hereafter, one of ordinaryskill in the art will appreciate that a pair of gloves 100 may beutilized by the user (one glove for each of the user's hands) and thateach glove 100 in the pair is configured to be a mirror image of theother glove 100 in the pair.

The hand portion 110 preferably is configured to cover a hand of a userby being configured to extend approximately from tips of the user'sfingers to the user's wrist. The hand portion 110 includes a firstcavity 111A configured to receive the user's thumb and at least oneother cavity 111B disposed adjacent to the first cavity 111A andconfigured to receive at least one of the user's fingers, other than theuser's thumb. In one embodiment, the glove 100 includes the first cavity111A configured to receive the user's thumb and a plurality of othercavities 111B-111E, each configured to receive one of the user'sfingers. For example, the cavity 111B may be configured to receive theuser's index finger, the cavity 111C may be configured to receive theuser's middle finger, the cavity 111D may be configured to receive theuser's ring finger and the cavity 111E may be configured to receive theuser's pinky finger. In another embodiment (not illustrated), the glove100 comprises a mitten in which the first cavity 111A is configured toreceive the user's thumb and a single, other cavity 111B is configuredto receive the rest of the user's fingers (i.e., the user's indexfinger, middle finger, ring finger and pinky finger).

The sleeve portion 120 preferably is configured to cover at least aportion of a forearm of the user by being configured to extendapproximately from the user's wrist to a point below the user'sshoulder. In a preferred embodiment, the sleeve portion 120 isconfigured to extend from the user's wrist to a point on the user'sforearm between the user's wrist and the user's elbow. In otherembodiments, the sleeve portion 120 may be configured to extend from theuser's wrist to the user's elbow. In additional embodiments, the sleeveportion 120 may be configured to extend from the user's wrist to a pointon the user's arm between the user's elbow and the user's shoulder. Thesleeve portion 120 includes a cuff 121 disposed at an end of the sleeveportion 120 furthest away from the hand portion 110. The cuff 121 maydefine, at least in part, an opening 122 through which the user's handis inserted into the glove 100.

The glove 100 further includes the lateral closure 130. In preferredembodiments (see FIGS. 1-6), the lateral closure 130 extends along a topsurface of the glove 100 in a substantially straight line from an areaof the hand portion 110 located between the first cavity 111A and thecavity 111B (i.e., an area located between the user's thumb and indexfinger) to the cuff 121 of the sleeve portion 120. In this embodiment,the lateral closure 130 is configured to extend substantially along theradius bone of the user's forearm. The preferred location of the lateralclosure 130 is considered to be the most ergonomic location for thelateral closure 130 in that it provides optimum comfort and avoids anystress or injury associated with the user opening and closing thelateral closure 130 with the user's other hand, which may be disposed ina second glove 100.

In other embodiments (see FIGS. 8-11), the lateral closure 130 extendson the top surface of the glove 100 in a substantially straight linefrom an area of the hand portion 110 proximate to the cavity 111C (i.e.,an area beneath the user's middle finger) to the cuff 121 of the sleeveportion 120. In such an embodiment, the lateral closure 130 isconfigured to extend substantially between the radius and ulna bones ofthe user's forearm. In other embodiments (not illustrated) the lateralclosure 130 may be provided at other locations, for example, on a bottomsurface of the glove 100, a side surface of the glove 100, or a portionof the top surface of the glove 100 different from the locationsillustrated in FIGS. 1-6 and 8-11. For example, the lateral closure 130may extend on the top surface of the glove 100 in a substantiallystraight line from an area of the hand portion 110 proximate to thecavity 111E (i.e., an area beneath the user's pinky finger) to the cuff121 of the sleeve portion 120.

In a preferred embodiment, the lateral closure 130 comprises a zipper.In other embodiments, the lateral closure 130 may be any other suitableclosure, including, but not limited to a ziplock, a snap, or Velcrolateral closure 130. The lateral closure 130 is configured to repeatedlyand reversibly move between a closed position and an open position toallow a size of the opening 122 of the glove 100. To facilitate thismovement, the lateral closure 130 may include an opening and closingdevice 131 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) configured to assist the user in movingthe lateral closure 130 between the closed position (FIGS. 1-4 and 6)and the open position (FIG. 5).

The opening and closing device 131 may include a base portion 132configured to couple the opening and closing device 131 to the lateralclosure 130 and a puller portion 133 configured to be gripped betweenthe user's fingers (e.g., the user's thumb and index finger) and pulledto move the lateral closure 130 between the closed and open positions.The base portion 132 and the puller portion 133 may be integrally orseparately formed. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, thepuller portion 133 is a ring-like or substantially circular body.However, in other embodiments, any other shape may be used. The openingand closing device 131 is formed from an easy-to-grip material, forexample, a plastic or a rubber. In one embodiment, the opening andclosing device 131 is made of high density polyethylene that has beeninjection molded into the desired shape.

When the lateral closure 130 is in the closed position (see FIGS. 1-4,6, and 8-10), the cuff 121 of the glove 100 is in a non-expanded state.For example, in the non-expanded state, the opening 122 may have acircumference or perimeter of 10 inches. When the lateral closure 130 ismoved to the open position (see FIGS. 5 and 11), the cuff 121 of theglove 100 is in an expanded state. For example, in the expanded state,the opening 122 may have an increased circumference or perimeter of 13inches. As seen in FIGS. 5 and 11, when the lateral closure 130 is inthe open position, a gusset 140 may extend from a first edge 130A of thelateral closure 130 to a second edge 130B of the lateral closure 130.The gusset 140 may be affixed substantially adjacent to the first edge130A and the second edge 130B by any suitable method, for example,gluing or sewing. In some embodiments, the gusset 140 is made of thesame reusable, washable, and waterproof material as the glove 100. Inother embodiments, the gusset 140 is made of a different material fromwhich the glove 100 is made. In a preferred embodiment, the gusset 140is made of vinyl. In other embodiments, the gusset 140 may be made ofnitrile, latex, a rubber, or a resin material, provided that thematerial is waterproof, may be washed, for example, in a dishwashingmachine or laundry machine, and will not break, deform or otherwisedeteriorate when exposed to household cleaning products (e.g.,dishwashing soap, bleach, or ammonia) or gardening products (e.g.,fertilizer, dirt, or pesticide). The gusset 140 is configured to allowthe cuff 121 to repeatedly and reversibly move between the non-expandedstate in which the gusset 140 is not visible to the user (i.e., ishidden from view) when the lateral closure is in the closed position,and the expanded state in which the gusset 140 creates an extensionbetween the first and second edges 130A and 130B of the lateral closure130 when the lateral closure is in the open position. The gusset 140 maybe, for example, triangular or rhomboid.

In some embodiments, an interior of the glove 100 may be lined with amaterial configured to improve the user's comfort and/or to prevent theformation of mold or mildew within the glove 100. In some embodiments,the interior of the glove 100 may be lined with an absorbent materialsuch as cotton. In other embodiments, the interior of the glove 100 maybe lined with an antimicrobial material. In some embodiments, the glove100 may be lined with an absorbent and antimicrobial material such aheavy weighted cotton, antimicrobial vinyl. Such a lining may helpreduce the presence of mold or mildew within the glove, and may beabsorbent to minimize the user's feelings of a sweaty or damp interior.In other embodiments, only a portion of the interior of the glove 100may be lined with one or more of the above materials. For example, thehand portion 110 may be lined while the sleeve portion 120 has nolining, or vice versa. In yet other embodiments, the interior of theglove 100 may have no lining.

According to the embodiments described above, an expandable glove isprovided with a lateral closure configured to move repeatedly andreversibly between a closed position and an open position to allow acuff of the glove to expand in size. By expanding the size of the cuffof the glove, the lateral closure allows the user to easily put on ortake off the glove, even if the glove has already been used. Theexpandable glove is formed of a reusable, waterproof, and washablematerial. Thus, the user may remove a used glove and place it in adishwashing machine or laundry machine to remove any smells, dirt,residue or other items from the interior and/or the exterior of theglove. For example, the expandable glove may be repeatedly andreversibly inverted to an inside-out position and washed with thelateral closure in an open position (i.e., in an expanded state) inorder to remove any unpleasant smells from an interior of the glove,especially a glove that has become wet during use. Thus, the expandableglove is easy to use, ergonomic and easily cleaned for reuse.

According to other embodiments, the glove 100 may have a decorativeappearance or design that is visible to the user in the useconfiguration. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, a design 150 can beprovided on the glove 100 that provides it with an aestheticallypleasing and distinctive appearance. The design can be provided on thehand portion 110, on the sleeve portion 120, or on both. The design 150can be provided on the glove 100 by a variety of known techniques, suchas designs formed in the material of the glove 100 during themanufacture of that material, ink printing on the material, overlays onthe material, etc. While a counterpart glove is not illustrated (e.g.,the right-hand glove), the counterpart glove may have a mirror image ofthe design 150 provided on the glove 100 or a different design. Byproviding such design(s) 150 on the glove 100, the glove 100 becomesmore aesthetically pleasing and may be displayed by the user asaesthetic aspects of their living environment.

As utilized herein, the terms “approximately,” “about,” “substantially”,and similar terms are intended to have a broad meaning in harmony withthe common and accepted usage by those of ordinary skill in the art towhich the subject matter of this disclosure pertains. It should beunderstood by those of skill in the art who review this disclosure thatthese terms are intended to allow a description of certain featuresdescribed and claimed without restricting the scope of these features tothe precise numerical ranges provided. Accordingly, these terms shouldbe interpreted as indicating that insubstantial or inconsequentialmodifications or alterations of the subject matter described and claimedare considered to be within the scope of the invention as recited in theappended claims.

It should be noted that the term “for example” as used herein todescribe various embodiments is intended to indicate that suchembodiments are possible examples, representations, and/or illustrationsof possible embodiments (and such term is not intended to connote thatsuch embodiments are necessarily extraordinary or superlative examples).

The terms “couple,” “connect,” and the like as used herein mean thejoining of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Suchjoining may be stationary (e.g., permanent) or moveable (e.g., removableor releasable). Such joining may be achieved with the two members or thetwo members and any additional intermediate members being integrallyformed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two membersor the two members and any additional intermediate members beingattached to one another.

References herein to the positions of elements (e.g., “top,” “bottom,”“above,” “below,” etc.) are merely used to describe the orientation ofvarious elements in the FIGS. It should be noted that the orientation ofvarious elements may differ according to other exemplary embodiments,and that such variations are intended to be encompassed by the presentdisclosure.

It is important to note that the construction and arrangement of thegloves as shown in the various exemplary embodiments are illustrativeonly. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail inthis disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosurewill readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g.,variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions ofthe various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, useof materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departingfrom the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter describedherein. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may beconstructed of multiple parts or elements, the position of elements maybe reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discreteelements or positions may be altered or varied. The order or sequence ofany process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according toalternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes andomissions may also be made in the design, operating conditions andarrangement of the various exemplary embodiments without departing fromthe scope of the present invention.

What is claimed:
 1. An expandable glove comprising: a hand portionincluding a first cavity and a second cavity adjacent to the firstcavity; a sleeve portion including a cuff having an opening therein foraccess to the hand portion; and a lateral closure extending from thehand portion to the sleeve portion, the lateral closure configured torepeatedly and reversibly move from a closed position in which theopening of the cuff has a first perimeter, to an open position in whichthe opening of the cuff has a second perimeter larger than the firstperimeter, wherein the glove is formed of vinyl.
 2. The glove of claim1, wherein the lateral closure extends from an area located between thefirst cavity and the second cavity in the hand portion to an area in thesleeve portion.
 3. The glove of claim 1, wherein the lateral closureextends along a top surface of the glove.
 4. The glove of claim 1,wherein the lateral closure comprises a zipper.
 5. The glove of claim 1,wherein the lateral closure is selected from the group consisting of aziplock, a snap, and Velcro.
 6. The glove of claim 1, further comprisingan opening and closing device having a base portion configured to assistin moving the lateral closure between the closed position and the openposition, the opening and closing device comprising a base portionconfigured to couple the opening and closing device to the lateralclosure and a puller portion configured to be gripped and pulled to movethe lateral closure between the closed position and the open position.7. The glove of claim 6, wherein the opening and closing device is madefrom a high density polyethylene material.
 8. The glove of claim 1,further comprising a gusset configured to be affixed substantiallyadjacent to a first edge of the lateral closure and a second edge of thelateral closure, wherein the gusset is configured to allow the openingof the cuff to expand to a size having the second perimeter when thelateral closure is in the open position.
 9. The glove of claim 8,wherein the gusset is configured to be hidden from view when the lateralclosure is in the closed position.
 10. The glove of claim 8, wherein thegusset is made of vinyl.
 11. The glove of claim 1, further comprising aninterior lining made of an absorbent material.
 12. The glove of claim 1,further comprising an interior lining including an antimicrobialmaterial configured to prevent formation of mold and/or mildew within aninterior of the glove.
 13. The glove of claim 1, further comprising aninterior lining made of a heavy weighted cotton, antimicrobial material.14. The glove of claim 1, wherein the glove is configured to be reused.15. The glove of claim 1, wherein the glove is configured to berepeatedly and reversibly inverted to an inside-out position to clean aninterior of the glove.
 16. The glove of claim 1, wherein the firstperimeter is approximately ten inches and the second perimeter isapproximately thirteen inches.
 17. The glove of claim 1, furthercomprising a decorative design provided on at least one of the handportion and the sleeve portion that is configured to be visible to auser.
 18. A method of cleaning an expandable glove comprising a handportion including a first cavity and a second cavity adjacent to thefirst cavity, a sleeve portion including a cuff having an openingtherein for access to the hand portion, and a lateral closure extendingfrom the hand portion to the sleeve portion, the lateral closureconfigured to repeatedly and reversibly move from a closed position inwhich the opening of the cuff has a first perimeter, to an open positionin which the opening of the cuff has a second perimeter larger than thefirst perimeter, the method comprising: inverting the glove to aninside-out position; placing the glove into a dishwashing machine; andrunning the dishwashing machine for a cleaning cycle.